“Look until the leaves turn red, sew the worlds up with thread. If your journey’s left undone, fear the rising of the sun.” – The Hazel Wood
Title: The Hazel Wood
Author: Melissa Albert
Publisher: Flatiron Books
My Rating: 3 Stars
I received an e-arc from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.
A dark otherworldly tale that sucks you so deep into its universe that you can’t come out. Seriously, every time I had to stop reading this book I had a really hard time coming back into reality. The bump in the night. That shadow on the wall. Is there something there? It was something about Albert’s writing that I couldn’t tear my body from the story. The world building is crazy good, plus it has a very unique plot. Her writing is some of the most magical that I have seen in a very long time!
I rated this book 3 stars for a few different reasons. The story itself, while being magical, was very depressing. I know it was advertised as a dark fairy tale, but wow, it was twisted and full of crazy murderous happenings. I had a really hard time going to sleep after reading this one! Not gonna lie, I found it thoroughly creepy. It just wasn’t my flavor. As well as the main character, Alice, whom I hated. She was extremely angry and really mean. I wanted to punch her so many times. And it got annoying that almost every page mentioned how angry she was. Okay, we get it. I really don’t mean to bash on her, because you understand her anger about 60% of the way through the book. So, really it’s the last half of the book that got most of the stars.
All in all, I would recommend this to anyone who likes dark, twisted, there are no good guys, fairy tales. Like I mentioned before, the writing is deeply moving and there are some major twists and turns that take you for a grand ol’ ride!
Happy Adventuring!
Storied Adventures 